Guide overview
- Essential guidance and instructions
- How online formative tests are displayed to students and how to interpret the available information
- Viewing your test score, cohort statistics, correct answers and commentary
- Accessing the unmarked test document once online attempt submitted
Essential guidance and instructions
The online formatives are an essential part of the learning and development process for students at Hull York Medical School. They give students the opportunity to test their learning at the end of each Block/Rotation of our HYMS MB BS programme. They also allow students to gain experience in exam technique by answering questions in two of the formats used in summative assessment: extended matching questions [EMQs] and multiple choice questions [MCQs].
Each formative test will be available for a period of two weeks and will go live one week before the end of the block.
Announcements will be posted on Blackboard, prior to each test, reminding students when they go live / close.
If you believe there to be any errors with questions, please contact exams@hyms.ac.uk. This allows us to improve the quality of the tests over time.
Once you have completed the test, you should print a copy of your test paper/responses and discuss any uncertainties with your PBL tutor.
Once submitted, students will have access to the full exam with their answers, the correct answers and any question commentary by clicking on their score for the test within My Grades (see below guidance).
All the formative assessments will be made available for revision purposes prior to the summative assessments.
Jimmie Leppink
Director of Assessment
How online formative tests are displayed to students and how to interpret the available information
When you access the end of block formative for the first time, you will be expected to complete the assessment in a single sitting. This is to try and replicate the ‘pressure’ of a summative assessment, where you are limited in the amount of time available and you would not be able to ‘look up’ any answers. Upon completing the formative your results will be displayed in the Blackboard Grade Centre (see below guidance).
Once a test has been submitted, your score will be visible in the My Grades area of your Blackboard account, as previous guidance states. However, we have increased the amount of statistical data visible for each test. Below there is a screenshot of the My Grades display and an explanation of these data (please note that grade boundaries cannot be reliably estimated for the online tests).
For each test you complete you will be able to access your answers, together with the correct answers and an explanation of the correct answers. In addition, an unmarked copy of the paper will now appear in the Assessment and Portfolio folder in Blackboard, beneath the access point to the formative test.
Viewing your test score, cohort statistics, correct answers and commentary
- In MyGrades select the course (Year Group) you wish to view e.g., HYMS MB BS Year 1*Click on the image below to enlarge it.
- Find the test title of the online formative test you have attempted and submitted.
- To the right you will now see your score in bold, the total marks available underneath, the average and median score achieved by the whole cohort. *Click on the image below to enlarge it.
- To view your test attempt with correct answers and commentary, click on the test title highlighted in point 2). and on the next screen click on the ‘calculated grade’.
Accessing the unmarked test document once online attempt submitted
- Click on the Assessment and Portfolio folder
- Click on the Formative Assessments folder
- Click on the Online End of Block Formative Questions folder. Once you have submitted to the relevant online test, a corresponding document will become visible in the Online End of Block Formative Questions folder. This document will remain visible for the duration of the academic year.*Click on the image below to enlarge it.

Further guidance
Please also see the following help pages;